Dr. Charles Lugo

About

Charles Lugo is a Visiting Research Associate at the Tyndall Centre for Climate Change Research, School of Environmental Science and a member of Water Security Research Centre, School of International Development University of East Anglia, UK. Charles holds a PhD in Environmental Policy and Law from the School of Environmental Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich UK; MSc. and BSc. Natural Resources Management from Egerton University Kenya; and Diploma Rangeland Management, Egerton College, Kenya.

Charles has lectured at Egerton University (Kenya) on environmental sciences and natural resources management for several years. He has been involved in teaching and research on environmental and natural resources management, including human ecology of tropical arid and semi arid lands. His PhD study was on effectiveness analysis of transboundary water regimes, case of the Lake Victoria Basin, East Africa. The study adopted the following approach. Firstly, a ‘survey approach’ to understand the creation of the basin regime. Secondly, a ‘critical doctrinal content analysis’ based upon key informants interview and document analysis (treaties, framework agreements and conventions) to unfold the regime architecture. Thirdly, a ‘regime in context’ approach: what was the regime supposed to be doing (e.g. proscribing to basin problems) compared to impacts of prevailing regime implementation activities in the basin (i.e. regime impacts). Lastly, a ‘hybrid’ approach of research methods, and international relations and international law theories to understand the regime effectiveness.

His research interests share an integration of natural resources, environmental governance, environmental assessment and audit, and environmental education for sustainable development with particular interests on sustainability, accountability, architecture, agency, allocation and access. At Tyndall Centre (UEA), Charles has proposed a study employing Failure Modes Criticality Analysis (FMCA) approach to understand how local communities subsisting on various livelihoods define dangerous climate change in Eastern Africa (AVOID projects). The outcomes of this study will create situated knowledge for decision-making on climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies at the local level (i.e. downscaling). He has also outlined a post-doctoral proposal on the River Nile to explore aspects of democracy, accountability, and legitimacy of the Nile Basin Shared Vision Programme (SVP) under the Nile Basin Initiative in Africa.

Publications

Lugo, C., and Jordan, A., (forthcoming) The Role of Regime Analysis in Effective Transboundary Water Governance (Paper submitted to- International Journal of Water Inderscience publishers, Australia)

Lugo, C., Jordan, A., and Benson, D. (forthcoming) The Role of Problem and Process Factors in Creation of Effective Transboundary Water Regimes: the case of Lake Victoria Basin, East Africa (Paper submitted to – International Journal of Water Inderscience publishers, Australia)